The UAE’s national aerobatic team, Fursan al Emarat, has secretly switched to a new aircraft type and will debut their new jets at next week’s Dubai Airshow.
The team, famous for flying seven black and gold Aermacchi MB-339s, has traded their straight-wing, single engine Italian jets for the Chinese-built Hongdu L-15A Falcon. The L-15 – also known as the JL-10 – is a delta wing twin-engine trainer and light attack jet; Al Fursan will utilise a non-afterburning, unarmed version.
Rumours have been circulating since 2021 that the team might re-equip with the L-15, and at the Dubai Airshow 2023, it was confirmed that the UAE Air Force had ordered a small fleet of 12 L-15s for Al Fursan, with options for 36 more. Two jets were presented to the UAE, but at the time, it was unclear if this was a formal delivery, or a symbolic gesture. No timeline was set out for the team to make the transition, except that it would occur before the MB-339 reached its out of service date in 2030.
Since then, no further comments were made, and no deliveries were announced – but in a surprising turn of events, Al Fursan was seen participating in a behind-closed-doors practice session for the Dubai Airshow 2025 with a full complement of L-15s. The transition to the new aircraft has been both remarkably quick and secretive – no doubt helped that the team’s usual base of operations is at Al Minhad air base, surrounded by desert and far from prying eyes.
A radical change in the team’s display can be expected, as the L-15s are likely not capable of some of the team’s previous manoeuvres – which included a synchronised double tailslide, ‘crazy flight’ and lomcovak.
The Dubai Airshow will take place on the 17th-21st November at Al Maktoum. Fursan al Emarat will be joined by other aerobatic teams, including Surya Kiran, the Russian Knights and the Baltic Bees.